A few months ago, I had the pleasure of being interviewed about my field recording, sound effects and photojournalism work, and how these similar crafts have happily intersected and overlapped for me, shaping what I do today. Steven Shepard hosts the Natural Curiosity Project podcast. For reasons he made clear but I’m still bewildered by, he thought my story was interesting. I’m his 223rd episode, and by God, there are a lot of fascinating people to listen to in the episodes before mine. I’m still going through them, learning things I never knew I needed to learn. It’s an honor to be added to this list of talented, creative individuals with diverse talents that Steve was curious enough about to call out of the blue and ask them a few thoughtful questions.
We spoke for hours, losing track of time. There may have been a bathroom break in there. I recall eyeing the vast array of interesting books he had on his bookshelf. Conversing with Steve was like talking to an old friend where there was a ton of catching up to do. Yet somehow, he was able to take all my rambling, meandering tangents, plus things that had nothing to do with field recording or photojournalism, and condense it all. With superpower editing skills, he turned our chat into something that made me sound like I knew what I was talking about.
What originally piqued his curiosity regarding my work was a field recording session I did in 2019. It highlights the Camas Prairie in south-central Idaho east of Boise. This is a postcard kind of place for sure. But, as I keep realizing, the visuals are only half its story. I look back fondly on that evening-to-morning adventure, sleeping in the back of my Subaru, hoping its battery didn’t fail. Yet listening to the wildlife surrounding me that evening, nothing else really mattered. Not even the possibility of walking out of there. You can read about it and listen to an excerpt here.
Steve kindly supplied me with a comment on his blog about the podcast episode. It reads, “Please thank Rick Hannon for his Camas Prairie album. My wife and I drove through that area a couple of years ago, early in the morning, and were blown away by its beauty. It didn’t occur to us to stop and listen. Now we know!” So that’s pretty sweet. Mission accomplished.
Two Ways to Listen
You can listen to the episode on his Soundcloud channel below, or via Apple Podcasts here.
Thank you again, Steve. A curious man if there ever was one. I’m very grateful, and flattered.
P.S., I would be remiss if I didn’t mention that Steve does a lot more than interview people like me. He’s a published author many times over. He’s a public speaker. Steve’s a photographer and sound recordist too. He’s a world traveler who has flown more than three million airline miles. He’s a scuba diver. And to top that all off, as of this fall, a member of his hometown’s planning commission. I suspect that’s where the real fun begins. Check out his work here.